News Article: DEJAN KOVACEVIC: Did you like this year? Good, no changes this off-season.

[GarrettC]

I am alright with Johnston being back. It would be nice to see what he could do with a healthy lineup for more than a week.

 

[Til the End of Time]

the pens cannot continue on this current trajectory (ie continuing to be led by this management group, with their current amateur and pro scouts) and expect to seriously contend for the cup.

sticking with guys like guerin, rutherford, botterill, etc. virtually ensures that crosby/malkin will win one cup in their career, barring them being traded.

they cant keep kicking the can down the road, year after year. the time to fix this organization and start valuing merit over cronyism was about 2 years ago. i honestly think it might be too late to fix this team, but another year of this crap is really going to seal the deal.

 

[Hophog]

I am alright with Johnston being back. It would be nice to see what he could do with a healthy lineup for more than a week.

I'm not willing to bank on this team ever having a healthy lineup for more than a week but I'm okay with having him back for another season. I'm interested in seeing how he does after having a year under his belt and getting to know the players a little better. Not to mention maybe he'll have some input as to who plays next year and what players are out there that might fit the system he envisions.

Who knows? Maybe the officials made their point this year and will get over themselves and actually give him and his players a fair shake next year. Part of me wonders if they treat rookie coach's similar to rookie players by calling penalties in order to establish their authority.

 

[MtlPenFan]

Man, talk about controlling the message...

I just sent a bunch of negative tweets under the #Pens hash tag. No swear in or anything, but stuff like what we discuss on the boards.

Guys, within 2 minutes they were gone. Deleted immediately. Positive messaging all around, with #Pensin7 all over the place.

 

[Shady Machine]

Man, talk about controlling the message...

I just sent a bunch of negative tweets under the #Pens hash tag. No swear in or anything, but stuff like what we discuss on the boards.

Guys, within 2 minutes they were gone. Deleted immediately. Positive messaging all around, with #Pensin7 all over the place.

Are you surprised?

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Someone whip up the gif of Sid saying "Ovechkin!" from that NHL ad a few years ago, but photoshop "Morehouse!" on it.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I like how he gives Lovejoy a C- on that play but doesn't take into account that his icing was the root cause. Go sell ice cream

ETA: He also mentions what a good crowd we had. I could probably argue that the low ticket prices played a large role in that.

 

[Shrimper]

 

[Asuna]

I like how he gives Lovejoy a C- on that play but doesn't take into account that his icing was the root cause. Go sell ice cream

ETA: He also mentions what a good crowd we had. I could probably argue that the low ticket prices played a large role in that.

Damn right...that's why I went

 

[MtlPenFan]

Are you surprised?

No. I never use hashtags, but I just wanted to do a little experiment. Man oh man are they fast.

 

[Terrapin]

Man, talk about controlling the message...

I just sent a bunch of negative tweets under the #Pens hash tag. No swear in or anything, but stuff like what we discuss on the boards.

Guys, within 2 minutes they were gone. Deleted immediately. Positive messaging all around, with #Pensin7 all over the place.

Controlling the message is right. Surprised Morehouse doesn't show up at your door to take you to the Gulag

 

[Ogelthorpe]

Do you really think before the season is officially over, that if you sat down with Lemieux and had the chance to ask him whatever you want, that he would actually tell you if he was planning on firing someone or trading someone? Do you think right before game 5 that he is going to let a tool like DK write an article saying we plan to trade Malkin or Scuds or Kunitz? Do you think he would air to the media that he plans on firing his coach when that guy hasnt been officially eliminated?

This is a non story as of now. If the rumors of Babcock wanting to coach Crosby resurfaces and he makes it know he is leaving Detroit, I bet both Johnston and JR's jobs are in jeopardy.

 

[Shrimper]

Man, talk about controlling the message...

I just sent a bunch of negative tweets under the #Pens hash tag. No swear in or anything, but stuff like what we discuss on the boards.

Guys, within 2 minutes they were gone. Deleted immediately. Positive messaging all around, with #Pensin7 all over the place.

Were the tweets directed at anyone?

 

[Penguinator]

...and could you write these tweets here? That would be appreciated.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Do you really think before the season is officially over, that if you sat down with Lemieux and had the chance to ask him whatever you want, that he would actually tell you if he was planning on firing someone or trading someone? Do you think right before game 5 that he is going to let a tool like DK write an article saying we plan to trade Malkin or Scuds or Kunitz? Do you think he would air to the media that he plans on firing his coach when that guy hasnt been officially eliminated?

This is a non story as of now. If the rumors of Babcock wanting to coach Crosby resurfaces and he makes it know he is leaving Detroit, I bet both Johnston and JR's jobs are in jeopardy.

OK, say you're Mike Babcock and you can go work for your friend and running mate at the Olympics in Bob Nicholson--a man whose organizational skills are beyond reproach--OR you can come to Pittsburgh with the country club and the Pittsburgh 9. Both teams have generational talents, but Edmonton's are 10 years younger.

Which would you choose? Let's leave biases aside.

The Babcock thing looks an awful lot like the courting of Zach Parise. We never had a shot.

 

[PensFanSince1989]

OK, say you're Mike Babcock and you can go work for your friend and running mate at the Olympics in Bob Nicholson--a man whose organizational skills are beyond reproach--OR you can come to Pittsburgh with the country club and the Pittsburgh 9. Both teams have generational talents, but Edmonton's are 10 years younger.

Which would you choose? Let's leave biases aside.

The Babcock thing looks an awful lot like the courting of Zach Parise. We never had a shot.

I choose not living in Edmonton, especially during the Winter.

 

[Ogelthorpe]

OK, say you're Mike Babcock and you can go work for your friend and running mate at the Olympics in Bob Nicholson--a man whose organizational skills are beyond reproach--OR you can come to Pittsburgh with the country club and the Pittsburgh 9. Both teams have generational talents, but Edmonton's are 10 years younger.

Which would you choose? Let's leave biases aside.

The Babcock thing looks an awful lot like the courting of Zach Parise. We never had a shot.

If Babcock was 45, I see your point about youth. However, I think Babcock at his age, is looking for a quicker winner, rather than developing a youth movement over the next 5 years. Plus, I'm thinking that if Babcock would sign, that a good amount of the current management team would be gone. I'm thinking Mario may keep Guerin and possibly Botterill, but ultimately Babcock would have a lot of say on personnel decisions.....like 90% say!

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I choose not living in Edmonton, especially during the Winter.

Is Pittsburgh that much better than Edmonton? It's not like he's choosing between below zero weather and sunny Florida/California or even the "big city draw" of places like New York or Los Angeles.

 

[MtlPenFan]

...and could you write these tweets here? That would be appreciated.

It was basically stuff like "Pens fans cannot trust the braintrust that traded Despres for Lovejoy to go forward"

Stuff like that.

 

[Penguinator]

It was basically stuff like "Pens fans cannot trust the braintrust that traded Despres for Lovejoy to go forward"

Stuff like that.

That's big stuff alright but i was curious about ...the other stuff.

Thanks anyway.

 

[canadianguy77]

Is Pittsburgh that much better than Edmonton? It's not like he's choosing between below zero weather and sunny Florida/California or even the "big city draw" of places like New York or Los Angeles.

I've lived in both Harrisburg and Edmonton during winter...Pittsburgh is that much better.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

The sooner this fan base realizes that we're a mediocre team, and still trending in the wrong direction, the less painful these next few seasons are going to be.

There seems to be quite a bit of entitlement among the fans too, not just the media and upper management.

 

[plaidchuck]

The sooner this fan base realizes that we're a mediocre team, and still trending in the wrong direction, the less painful these next few seasons are going to be.

There seems to be quite a bit of entitlement among the fans too, not just the media and upper management.

Buckle up then, the average yinzer is already bragging about how they hung with the president trophy winners and how they just lost due to bad luck.

 

[eXile59]

Blame injuries. Same old carp.

 

[Coastal Kev]

We hear you. You don't like it. Know what any of us can do about it? Nothing at all. Complaining about it doesn't make it any better and it's getting tiresome. What's done is done.

This is where you are 1000% wrong. It's not done because the issue is bigger than Despres.

DK is spreading the company line saying the Pens will get younger and faster.... WHAT IN THE HELL WAS DESPRES???? Especially in comparison to LOVEJOY.


AND guess what, those same bozos will be in charge of next years Pens.

IT's NOT DONE